The 60,000-seat Morodok Techo Stadium was packed out as an excited audience soaked up an evening of cultural entertainment that embodied the spirit of sport for the opening ceremony of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).
Excitement mounted ahead of the start of the official opening ceremony as people poured into the brand new stadium on the outskirts of Phnom Penh hours ahead of the scheduled start.
Forming a sea of mostly white and blue, the crowd enjoyed a string of entertainment as they eagerly awaited the beginning of the ceremony. Excitement erupted as Cambodian comedians and singers took to the stadium’s pitch.
The official countdown to the ceremony paved the way for what was to follow, with an impressive LED clock ticking from 10 to one shone on the pitch to mark the launch of the Games.
Prime Minister Hun Sen and his wife Bun Rany looked on in awe as the ceremony delivered spectacle after spectacle in the form of lazer light displays, pioneering projection mapping, and colorful explosions of fireworks that burst into the sky.
The ceremony was also attended by a string of high-ranking officials from across ASEAN, including Thongloun Sisoulith, the president of Laos, and Tan Chuan-Jin, the chairman of Singapore National Olympic Council and Speaker of Parliament.
The Cambodian National Anthem was sung with pride, with this being the first time Cambodia has hosted the SEA Games. Next, the audience cheered on with delight to a 45-minute performance that delivered a spectacular fusion of performing arts to re-tell Cambodia’s rich history.
Stretching back to the birth of the Khmer kingdom, hundreds of performing artists told the journey of Cambodia through to its thriving modern day and into the future, while showcasing the vast array of treasured Khmer cultural heritage, including apsara dance, shadow puppet and mask theater, bokator and other Khmer martial arts.
A parade of nations saw flag bearers, athletes, officials, and dignitaries from each of the participating nations take to the stadium to a waving Hun Sun. The crowd went into a frenzy when the Cambodia squad entered the stadium, wearing purple and proudly waving the Cambodian flag as they elegantly formed a semi-circle in the stadium.
Minister of Tourism and chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, Thong Khon, delivered an opening speech, before Tea Banh, deputy prime minister and chairman of the Cambodia SEA Games 2023 Organizing Committee, gave his speech.
Sier Miang, first vice-president of the International Olympic Committee, congratulated Cambodia for hosting the Games and personally thanked the Prime Minister for his vision and leadership in organizing the Games for the first time.
The 32nd SEA Games were then officially declared open by Prime Minister Hun Sen, with the stadium once again lit up by a mesmerizing display of light that sent the audience wild.
